Plastic Recycling on the Andaman Islands

The Andaman and Nicobar islands, a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, are not only home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Asia but also to one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes in the world . Having recovered from the 2004 Tsunami that hit the region, several guest houses and dive centers have opened up on the islands bringing in tourists to experience the beauty of these islands. However, with an increase in tourism comes an increase in waste. The lack of an effective recycling infrastructure, plastic is dumped or burnt with bottles and plastic bags ending up in the forests and even the beaches, affecting the marine life tremendously – an example of which you can see in the picture of the turtle chewing on a plastic bag at the top of this page. The local government has recently banned the use of all plastic bags, a commendable move in the right direction – however, a significantly larger effort needs to be made to preserve this beautiful place. GreenLife decided to do something about it ..

The GreenLife Society, an NGO based in the Andaman Islands with everything from protecting coral reefs and to creating awareness about the regions indigenous Dugong sea mammal, is now setting up a plastic recycling plant to collect and grind plastic of all types before being sent back to mainland India. With help from the Finnish Embassy, GreenLife has already made serious headway with this project. The plastic recycling center itself is already operational in the capital, and is currently grinding away 40 tons of plastic a month. GreenLife has also distributed recycling bags to numerous resorts and restaurants that have contractually agreed to help with the sorting and collecting of the garbage. Talks were held with the local government that resulted in being offered the aid of over 300 officers and armed forces personnel to help with collection of all the waste already on the island. Free transportation for all processed plastics for the next 3 years was also guaranteed, and is why we are in such a hurry to get things going .

GreenLife has spent the last 3 years setting up this unit, and has met many of the project’s initial targets. Unfortunately, there is now a lack of funds to complete the project, preventing the installation of a grinding machine on the island Havelock. Havelock island is to serve as a pilot for the project’s waste collection phase from the small islands. Havelock island has the biggest influx of tourist, it would then have the capability to easily prepare plastic bottles for shipping to the main recycling center in Port Blair. It is very important to get this setup soon, to benefit from the now pro-recycling mindsets GreenLife has managed to inculcate in people on the islands, and to make full use of the government subsidies they have worked so hard to get. If you have ever been to the Andaman Islands, ever intend to go there, or just genuinely care about our planet – I ask you to please help us complete this project. The turtles, GreenLife and I will thank you 🙂